The Shadow Within
by WingsofRequiem
Summary: Sequel to "The Shadow that Watches." What would you do. How far would you go. How much are you willing to sacrifice. To save the one you love? How do you protect someone you love when you're the holding the knife that will end her life? Rated M for Blood, Violence, Gore, Lemons, Torture and Character Death.
1. Chapter 1

**Hello everyone! Wings here, and YOU KNOW WHAT THIS IS.**

**That's right! This is the highly anticipated sequel of The Shadow that Watches! YAY. I finally decided to write it!**

**"But Wings Senpai, you said you wouldn't be writing it any time soon!" You say?**

**Well, if you're a regular reader of my stories, you know how much of a bitch my Muse is. I thought I would focus on my other stories for now, but my Muse was like "lolno fak u" and decided to drain me of motivation to writing anything except this. So I guess you guys should thank her xD Or not. **

**The Cover Art is done by none-other than moi! :D That's why it sucks xD lel pls forgive my lack of artistic skills, but give me 4 years and I'll be awesome at it.**

**Anyways, withotu further ado... I give you, The Shadow Within!**

**NOTE: I've noticed sometimes chapters show up in ALL BOLD when read on a Mobile device. I have no idea why this happens as it's perfect in the Doc version as well as in the Desktop Fanfiction, so that's not my fault.**

**~ Wings**

* * *

><p><strong>WARNING: This story has much, much more gorier and bloodier events than the last story. However, the gory and bloody elements are placed usually at the end of the chapter after a Line break. You do not have to read that part if you don't want to, but it will add more stuff to the Plot, so I would advise you to read it. I will try to tone it down to keep it from getting too gory when the parts are within the story.<strong>

**Rated M for Gore, Blood, Torture, Violence, Sexual References, Swear Words, Smut and more.**

* * *

><p><span><strong>The Shadow Within<strong>

**Chapter 1: **The Shadow lurks

_How long has it been? My days spent in the company of one I cherish. My dark moments no longer shrouded in the solitude of myself and my shadows. My lust for power, forgotten, replaced with the desire to make her happy. How long has it truly been since I've stopped being what people have made me out to be?_

_Too long._

_I must fix this. I must fix what is broken. I am broken. I must fix myself. I must go back to myself. I must reach and grab hold of the power that eludes me. I must. I will._

_I will kill the root of the problem._

…

"Zed… Zed?"

A small groan escaped his lips as Zed shifted in his bed. His eyes opened, the vivid red globes coming into view as the pupils narrowed, focusing on Akali as the light of morning dimly seeped in through the windows. She looked absolutely beautiful, with her hair down, pouring down one side of her neck in waves upon waves of dark brown. Her eyes, a dark red color yet lacking the intensity of his, looked down upon him softly. The light hitting her from the front caused most of her face to be brightened up, making her pale skin look almost like alabaster porcelain. As she saw him open his eyes, she smiled at him, filling him with a warmth that only she could give him.

"Good morning." She said softly as she leaned close and gave him a gentle peck on the lips, which he returned.

"Good morning Akali…"

"As much as I would love to continue to see you sleep… We need to get going. We have a small meeting due in a few hours." Akali said as a small smirk played upon Zed's lips. "Have the tables turned so much that you watch me sleep rather than the other way around?" He asked as Akali smiled again.

"You talk like you expected something else."

"With you… I like surprises." Zed replied as Akali gave a small chuckle. "I see you haven't lost your soft touch with words, Zed."

With that, Akali rose off of the bed, stretching as she stood up, allowing Zed to stare at her nice form from behind. She wore a loose, green top and a pair of black boxer shorts.

"Stop staring at my bum and get off yours." Akali chastised gently as she began pulling her long hair back into a pony tail. Zed sighed and pulled off the sheets, getting off the bed. Unlike Akali, he wore a black tank top. Below, he wore a pair of dark grey shorts that ended just above his knees.

"I'll be going now, meet me at the dining room, okay?" Akali said while she put on a loose, casual kimono to cover herself with. Zed nodded in response as he stepped into the bathroom, turning on the lights. He heard his door close as Akali left, leaving him alone. As soon as she was gone, however, it seemed as though the entire room darkened slightly. The temperature dropped as Zed suddenly felt slightly hollow. He brushed his teeth and went about everything as usual. After washing the sleep out of his eyes, he propped himself upon the sink, his hands gripping it's edge, and looked into his reflection in the mirror.

He had cut off his long black hair once it was getting too cumbersome, so now he had shorter hair, which reached down his neck while his bangs barely reached his eyes. It made him look much younger that before, though the scars on his face were still prevalent yet even they were a tad bit more faded than before. Yet, his eyes were the only thing that never changed. Those cold, bloody eyes that glew with malevolence, a sign of the forbidden powers he had taken upon himself.

_They were fighting… No, rather, they were sparring with each other. Both of them had the look of intense concentration upon them as their fists flew, their feet cutting through the air as well. Punches, kicks, chops, everything. They threw everything they knew at each other. Yet, the other always seemed to know. They were like twins._

_They looked similar, yet not similar enough to be brothers, which they strangely were. One had black hair while the other had a chocolate brown coloration to his. Finally, they both cried out as they both launched a powerful attack, one launching a reverse-spin kick while the other launched a powerful uppercut. Both hits collided, sending both combatants flying a few feet back from each other as they landed hard upon the grassy ground._

"_That's enough." A wise voice said as both of the combatants, though sore and aching from the fight, quickly hastened to get up onto one knee and bow respectfully. A man stepped up to them, old and wizened with a white beard upon his face._

"_Another draw, yet both of your abilities seem to be improving much, much better than any student I've ever had the honor of teaching. I'm proud of you. Shen. Zed." The man said as both of the children rose upto their feet, proud smiles on their faces. The master walked upto Shen and ruffled his hair. "Especially you, Shen. You are one who is worthy to one day be the Eye of Twilight." He said, as Shen made a small noise of happiness. "Thank you, father!"_

_Shen opened his eyes as his father-slash-master stepped away from him, glancing at Zed. His smile faltered once he saw his brother looking down at the ground with a strange type of bitterness._

"_You two may rest." The man said as both of them bowed to him once again before straightening up. Zed began walking away as Shen ran upto him. "Hey Zed, wait up!" He said as Zed stopped, looking back at his brother. Zed's dark red eyes focused upon Shen's dark blue ones as he curtly said, "What?"_

"_What's wrong?" Shen asked as Zed's eyes narrowed. "Nothing's wrong." He spat bitterly as Shen winced at the harshness of his brother's words. He stood there and watched Zed walk away, confused as to why Zed was acting like this._

Zed blinked and shook his head, pulling himself out of the memories as he breathed deeply out through his nose, wondering why he was remembering things from so long ago. A small amount of remorse bled from the center of his being as he stared down at the sink, watching the water drops dripping from his face.

_**Drip. Drip. Drip.**_

Zed's fingers clutched the sink tightly as he closed his eyes even tighter, trying to get the images out of his head. With a dark, throaty growl, he pushed himself off of the sink, straightening up before walking away.

…

It was a chilly winter morning. Snow had just begun falling a few days ago and right now, the flakes of white slowly drifted down sparsely, making a beautiful scene infront of Akali. She stood in the corridor that was open on one side, which lead to the courtyard, staring at the snow falling from the sky in all it's serenity. It reminded her of her right, which she brought infront of her face as she held out her left hand, looking at the thin platinum ring upon her ring finger. Neither Zed nor Akali liked precious stones very much, so Zed opted for a simpler yet so much more unique ring. Platinum, it had an ornate design along it's length to give it that absolute elegant feel. It wasn't a marriage ring… Not really, but it was a sign of things. Of everything.

Footsteps made her turn around to see Zed walking up. He wore a black-and-red jacket which also had a hood, which was currently pulled back, allowing her to see Zed's face. Under the jacket, he wore his usual black one-piece, complete with the pull-on half-face mask that currently hid the lower half of his face. Other than that, she could see his predatory red eyes, that softened as they looked at her, as well as his dark, messy hair. "Ready to go?" He asked, looking her up and down. She wore a grey colored full-sleeve sweater over a dark pair of pants. She also had a carmine scarf wrapped around her neck which also concealed half of her face when she tucked her head in. Her long dark brown hair was, as always, tied behind her head in a long ponytail. She nodded her agreement as they continued to walk down the corridor.

"So… What was this meeting about again?" Zed asked as Akali shrugged. "Something about the upcoming changes to the game…. God, Irelia's not gonna be happy." Akali chuckled at her own words as Zed gave a small smile as well.

"How is Irelia, anyway?" Zed asked.

"I'm doing quite fine, thank you for caring, Zed." A female voice said as they turned Zed and Akali saw Irelia walk around the corner of the intersection infront of them, accompanied by none other than Master Yi. Irelia was wearing her official Captain-of-the-guard uniform, as she was required to do so, although the extra padding on it meant she was wearing some layers inside to ward off the cold. Master Yi, however, looked completely casual in a faded brown jacket over a green jacket, with dark blue pants. His long black hair, though not as long as Zed's hair had been, was pulled back into a small ponytail, except for a few short strands that hung over his forehead. His jaw was lightly lined with stubble and he wore green tinted round spectacles.

"Irelia!" Akali said happily as Irelia replied with a similar "Akali!" and then they both hugged each other as Yi and Zed stood next to each girl awkwardly.  
>"Yo." Yi said casually at Zed, who had already pulled his hood over, shrouding his face as he nodded in reply.<p>

"I've missed you so much!" Irelia said as she hugged Akali tightly.  
>"Irelia, we saw each other just yesterday." Akali replied.<br>"Yes, and I missed you so much since then!" Irelia said as she finally let Akali go, the two friends giggling a bit at the joke. "How're you doing Yi?" Akali asked as Yi grinned sheepishly. "Oh, you know… The usual." He said as Irelia turned her face towards Zed.

"Well well well, I never thought I'd hear grouchypuss here ask about me. Allow me to return the favour; How are you doing Zed?" Irelia asked.

"Fine." Zed replied flatly as Irelia had an expression of mock surprise on her face. "My my, you're actually warming up! Can I hug you now? Or maybe braid your long hair?"

Zed's response was to stare back at her flatly from the shadows of his hood, yet due to his glowing eyes, his stare was sinisterly visible.

"I guess that's a no." Irelia said as Akali laughed softly again. "Yeah, you better not if you don't want him to stab you, Irelia. And he cut his hair anyway."

"You did!?" Irelia said in surprise as Zed shrugged.  
>"It was getting impractically long." He said simply.<p>

"Irelia, do you know what the meeting is about?" Akali asked as Irelia's eyes darkened, while Yi's face also fell.  
>"Yes… There's been… A murder."<p>

Zed and Akali both froze mid step as they stared at Irelia with shock evident on their faces.  
>"What!?" Akali said in a low, disbelieving voice. Irelia nodded grimly. "...Who?" Akali asked as Irelia ran her hand through her dark raven hair. "Who was the killer? Impossible to tell. He, or she, left no traces whatsoever. As for who was killled… Its Garen."<p>

"Garen? The Might of Demacia?" Akali asked, shocked further. Garen was no easy man to kill.  
>"Yeah, so you can see why the league is in turmoil. Demacia's flinging accusations at Noxus and Noxus is completely denying it." Irelia said as they resumed walking, albeit a bit faster than before. Zed stayed silent throughout the conversation, gears turning in his head as he tried to figure out who might have killed Garen.<p>

_Blood splattered upon the wall as the gurgles escaped from him, drowning in his own blood._

"Zed? What's wrong?" Akali asked as Zed' eyes wide, looked up to see Akali was a good distance away, as well as the others. "Why did you suddenly stop walking?" Irelia asked, slight concern on her face. "I… Nothing… I just remembered something, that's all?" Zed said as Irelia turned around on him, her face becoming a mask. "Zed… Do you know anything about this murder, anything at all?" Irelia asked in a deathly quiet voice as a heavy silence fell over the group.  
>"What are you implying, Irelia?" Zed asked without a trace of emotion in his voice, not faltering nor backing away.<br>"No traces of the killer… Almost like a Shadow killed him. Does that ring a bell, Zed?" Irelia asked, slowly getting more aggressive as her blades raised up behind her. Zed noticed her aggression, but didn't move. "Irelia, what are you doing!?" Akali asked in a surprised way, shocked that her friend would jump to accuse Zed. "He was with me all night, for goodness sake!"

"He… I…" Irelia faltered, the aggression bleeding out of her as she relaxed, her blades falling back to float dormantly behind her. "I'm sorry Zed… Akali… I'm just… Tense." Irelia said, massaging her temples as Yi put a reassuring hand on her shoulder. "We should get going. It wouldn't look good to be late, especially not when I'm the Captain of the Guard."

…

It was absolute Chaos, to say the least. Every Champion was assembled in the tribunal hall, with a representative of every state standing in the middle while the rest of the champions sat around the hall in the stands. Akali sat next to Zed in the Ionian stands as she looked around the room, then focused upon the center. Upon the high seats, were none other than Kayle, the Judicator, and High Councilor Vessaria Kolminye. The representatives of each state were Jarvan the Fourth for Demacia, Swain for Noxus, Irelia for Ionia, Mordekaiser for The Shadow Isles, Caitlyn for Piltover, Viktor for Zaun, Tristana for Bandle City, Azir for Shurima and a strange, unknown man with purple hair and bright green eyes standing for the Void. The Unaffiliated was represented by Rammus.

"A demacian, dead. No trace whatsoever about the killer. Garen was one of the best warriors Demacia has ever seen!" Jarvan said loudly, anger in his voice as well as slight pride and sorrow for his friend. "He would not be defeated in combat so easily… Unless he was assassinated through cowardly means, which YOUR city is an expert of!" Jarvan shouted, pointing an accusing finger at Swain, who's bird, Beatrice, cawed loudly at Jarvan.

"You're just a simpering child who's whining because your best friend died, grasping at air for evidence you cannot provide. All of our assassins were accounted for and we have no interest in that Demacian Oaf, much less the intent to waste such resources to kill him. And I'd have to be an absolute fool to kill him within the Institute and you can call me many things, Prince Jarvan, but you cannot call me foolish." Swain said heatedly. "You are also forgetting atleast thirty percent of the champions here can kill without leaving a trace, maybe more."

"Yes, and most of them are from Noxus!" Jarvan shouted.

"No, they are not. Other that Talon and Katarina, we do not have assassins that can accomplish such a feat." Swain said.

"So, Grand General Swain, you are saying that an assassin killed the Might of Demacia, yet it was not yours?" High Councilor Vessaria Kolminye asked, her voice ringing through the room.

"That is correct, High Concilor." Swain said as Kolminye put her hand over her mouth, closing it into a fist as she thought. "I believe you." She finally said.

"What!? High Councillor, how can you believe the lies he spo-"

"Silence, Jarvan. Swain speaks the truth on two things. One, you are far too emotionally distraught to be thinking straight right now. And two, Swain is a brilliant tactician and general and he would not make such a foolish move right under the noses of the League." Kayle said in an unfathomable voice as Kolminye leaned forward. "You wish to say anything else, Swain?" Kolminye asked.

"Yes, High Councilor. As Jarvan stated, Garen was no weakling. An assassination must have took him out, and judging from his wounds, the killer used a blade. That narrows our list down." Swain said.  
>"Sound words. Then let us bring forward all the assassins in this room, save for the Noxian and Demacian ones. Do any of you disagree?" Kolminye asked across the room at the representatives. The purple haired man raised his head a bit higher before he spoke, in a voice with a bad lisp, almost like he was hissing. "High Councilor… The Void will take exempt from this call out, because all of us are constantly under lock down, save for me, yet I am always under surveillance." The man said and it took Akali a moment to recognize his voice and pinpoint his identity as none other than Kha'zix, the Void Reaver.<p>

"You have a point, Kha'zix. Very well, the Void are exempt." Kolminye said.  
>"The Shadow Isles are also exempt, as like the Void, we are under constant surveillance." The king of Metal said as Kolminye nodded, jotting something down on her desk. "Very well. Anyone else wishes to exempt or speak out?"<br>"Ok." Rammus said, to which Kolminye nodded.

No one else spoke up and therefore, Kolminye continued.

"Alright. Kayle, if you will please call out the list of suspects."

Kayle nodded, before raising a piece of paper up to read as she said loudly, "Akali, Diana, Irelia, Kassadin, Master Yi, Rengar, Shaco, Shen, Yasuo… And Zed." Kayle said Zed's name after a small delay, as Kolminye focused her gaze on the Shadow Master, who began following the others out into the center of the room. Everyone whose name had been called stood in a line in the middle as Kolminye looked through them.

"All of you are assassins with the ability to kill without leaving a trace and use a bladed weapon. Therefore, all of you are suspects until proven innocent. You are all given a chance to state an alibi for the murder that took place in the middle of the night yesterday. Akali, we shall begin with you." Kolminye stated. "Reports say you were not in your room." Kayle said as Akali narrowed her eyes.

"Its true, I was not in my room because I was in… Zed's room." Akali said, hesitating with the last few words as she flushed a bit. Her romantic relation with the Master of Shadows was known to almost everyone, so it wasn't really a revelation. Yet, stating the fact that she had spent the night with him was far more awkward.

"Interesting… What were you tw-" Kayle began but seeing the blush deepen on Akali's face, even as the kunoichi stared up at Kayle and tried to keep a straight face, told Kayle all she needed. "Oh. Zed, do you agree with her claim?" She asked.

"Yes. She slept with me. If you have any doubts, you can ask the champions who reside in the apartments next to mine; I'm sure they can tell you they heard her screams of ecstacy well into the night." Zed said as many champions, mainly the males and one Vi, snickered at his openness while almost an equal amount flushed furiously, not wishing to know so much. Kolminye cleared her throat, a stern expression on her face as she said, "Alright Zed, I believe you. You two may go back to your seats or exit the hall."

Akali wanted to do nothing more than disappear into the floor as her face was completely red, yet she managed to keep a straight, albeit forced, face. She could feel Shen staring flatly at her as she walked off, as well as many other champions.

Exitting the hall, she found Zed already outside. Anger replaced her embarrassment as she strode upto him. "What the hell was that about, Zed!?" Akali said angrily as Zed pulled his hood back, revealing his eyes and hair so as to look at her better. "What do you mean. I said what I was asked." He said flatly as Akali riled up further. "You didn't have to make our… interactions public!" She angrily said as Zed narrowed his eyes, pulling his facemask down now as well. "You act as if no one else knows that you and I are seeing each other." Zed said as Akali stuttered. "Well knowing it and telling all the grisly details are different, you damned… You… GAH!" Akali said angrily, before finally giving up and beginning to stride away. Before she did, however, she felt his iron hard grip on her arm before she was pulled into his chest, his hand finding it's way to her chin to push her face up. A moment later, he was kissing her deeply, passionately, with a fire behind it. Akali's resistance turned to water in the face of his fiery assault and she succumbed under his absolute force. Breaking the kiss, she found herself staring up at the glowing crimson eyes of Zed, feeling the small twinge of fear his eyes always instilled in her as she beheld the intensity with which he stared at her.

"I do not care, Akali. If I must, I will make love to you in a place where the whole world could see. I do not care. What I do care about is to make it clear to everyone… You are mine. And Mine alone, just as I am yours and yours alone. I also want to send a clear message to the killer that if he tries something against you, he will find my blade buried in his chest." Zed said heatedly, scaring Akali further with the amount of vehemence and intensity he was speaking with.

"Z-Zed… Are you…" Akali began, but Zed interrupted her by putting his forehead against hers and closing his eyes.

"I'm just worried about you Akali… That's all. I'm sorry if I… overreacted." Zed raised his face, his expression much softer than the dangerous look he had before. "I almost lost you once to Syndra… I don't want that to happen again, because I'm afraid I will lose you this time." Zed said as Akali gave him a sad smile, before stepping forward and hugging him, pressing the side of her face into his chest.

"I will be with you Zed, don't worry… You won't lose me. I will always be with you." She said gently and soothingly as Zed calmed down, gently reaching up around her before returning her embrace, pulling her in closer as he lowered his head towards her.

"Always." He whispered, closing his eyes as he tried to stop himself from thinking of the strange images of Garen, lying dead with his body cut open and blood pooling in his gaping mouth, which had come out of nowhere into the forefront of his mind...

...

_Don't kill me, Zed._

…

The day had passed without much incident and now, it was in the dead of night. Silence reigned through the institute as almost everyone slept. Everyone including Zed and Akali.

Zed opened his eyes with a start, red eyes staring wildly up at the ceiling as he instantly shot upright into a sitting position. He panted, cold sweat covering his body as he felt to his side. He felt her form under the covers, reassured that even if he could not see her in the darkness of the room, she was there. He had the worst dream… A nightmare. Something he hadn't experienced in many years. He could still hear the ghost of her voice, pleading with him not to kill her… It was nerve wracking, to say the least. His red eyes glowed dimly in the darkness as he looked around before finding the silhouette of his lamp on the bedside table. While he reached out for it, he realized how much he had sweat from the nightmare. His entire body felt wet and the bed also seemed a bit damp….

Not damp… It was wet.

He turned on the light and his heart stopped. The hand he had reached out with to turn on the lights was wet alright…. But with blood, not sweat. Coated crimson upto his elbow, as well as many flecks of blood, indicating that something had spurted up at him.

"No…" He whispered, afraid to turn around. But he did, slowly…

Akali was lying on her back beside him, the covers pulled down to her waist, a large kunai sticking out of her chest, blood coating the entire front of her tank top, a crimson smile also drawn upon her throat, blood slowly seeping out. Her eyes stared up at the ceiling, unseeing, maroon eyes unfocused. Tears still glistened on her cheeks, and her mouth was slightly open as her last breath had left her. Her skin had already turned nearly white, indicating that she had been dead for quite some time, most of the blood in her body now absorbed into the sheets of th bed, staining it crimson, as well as coating Zed's body. Her expression was frozen in the form of shock and betrayal.  
>"NO, AKALI!" Zed shouted, his words catching in his throat as he curled his back involuntarily from the entire shock and weight of the things that had happened. His nightmare had been real. He had killed her. Akali was dead, by his hand. The woman he loved, had died because of him. He couldn't even speak, he felt like he was being crushed by her death, yet he was unable to tear his eyes away from her face. The plain emotion of betrayal, softened by death, was still there, accusing him.<p>

"NO!" He screamed up at the ceiling.

And then, his red eyes opened as he woke up.

* * *

><p>Garen woke up with a small grunt as he turned around in his bed, trying to get into a more comfortable position. Yet, he still felt uneasy. After a few more minutes of tossing and turning, he gave up and decided to sit up off his bed. He looked at his bedside end table, where a small hextech clock was propped up, displaying that it was 3 am in the morning.<p>

Groaning, he got off his bed and walked out of his bed room, walking to the kitchen area of his apartment. He felt uneasy. Like he was being watched. Yet, as he reached the kitchen, he looked around, seeing nothing but shadows in the darkness of the night.

Downing a glass of water and wiping the his mouth with the back of his forearm, Garen began walking back to his room. When he opened the door, however, he saw a figure standing there. The figure was completely black and smoky, like a living shadow, his features impossible to tell. Yet, one thing was certain, as the figure raised it's unseen face up to him. Eyes the color of blood glowed out of the darkness at him. "What the hell!?" Garen said in shock and fear as he turned around, intending to run to the front door, where his sword was also propped up. However, as he turned around, he heard something whistling through the air. Garen screamed in pain as he felt something slice through the achilles tendons on both his feet, causing the bulky man to slam into the ground. Dazed from the fall and gasping from the pain in his feet, Garen barely registered that something grabbed his legs and began pulling him into the room. The hands felt icy cold even through his pants. As he was pulled into his room, Garen shoved himself around so he was on his back rather than his front, allowing him to focus on his assailant. Yet, there was no one there. Garen pivoted his head around, looking for the strange black attacker as he began crawling back. Suddenly, something dripped onto his stomach. Something red.

Blood.

Garen looked up with a cry of fear, expecting the killer to drop down at him, yet the only thing he saw was a black Shuriken stuck to the ceiling, dripping blood. Garen froze, watching the shuriken, which was precariously sticking out of the ceiling. He was about to push himself out from under it when something suddenly shot through his right hand, pinning him to the ground. Garen screamed in pain as he looked to see the black, shadowy figure crouching next to him, two long armblades sticking out of the figure's left arm and penetrating through Garen's right hand, pinning him to the floor. He recognized that armblade.

"Z- KHHHRKH" He couldn't say anything else because as soon as he opened his mouth, the shadow's figure shot forward, his fingers jotting into Garen's open mouth and grasping a hold of his tongue. Garen's eyes widened a second before he realized what the man was going to do. Before he could say anything to protest, the shadow placed it's foot on Garen's neck and then pressed down harshly at the same time he viciously pulled. Garen let out his worst scream yet as he felt his tongue being ripped out of his mouth, blood spurting out and pooling in his mouth. At the same time, the shuriken from above suddenly fell, embedding itself deep into Garen's abdomen, his heavily-built abs doing nothing to deter the cold edge of steel. Garen could feel his body going into shock as the pain slowly left him, replaced with numbness. The pressure on his throat had also broken his larynx, rendering him unable to properly cough, which caused the blood gushing from the wound in his mouth to pool inside. He made pathetic gurgling noises as he tried to breathe, drowning in his own blood as the shadowy figure slowly, and painfully, pulled his armblade out of Garen's hand. He stepped over the man to his side and slowly reached down to the Shuriken. Garen could do nothing but watch weakly as his vision faded while the dark figure slowly dragged the shuriken up Garen's torso, literally cutting him open as blood pooled out even more. And then, the man pulled the shuriken out, and raised it. A second later, Garen felt rather than heard the resounding sound of the Shuriken shattering through his exposed ribcage and into his heart. He stared down to see the Shuriken suddenly dissolve into nothing but shadow, along with the man who slowly dissolved from the bottom up. The last thing Garen ever saw before his vision faded along with his life was the glowing red eyes that gazed unblinkingly at him and watched him die. Eyes the color of blood.

* * *

><p><strong>So yeah, that was the first chapter. Hopefully I did a better job of opening up this story than I did with my other one, because in all honesty, the opening few chapters of that story was absolute shit xD<strong>

**Also, if you guys are wondering, YES, Syndra will get some showtime in this story. Don't worry, I'm not keeping the bitchqueen out. And you guys can be sure she's going to be even more of a bitch this time around.**

**Yes I hate Syndra. I hate her with a passion now mainly because most people I know ship her with Zed without even knowing her character/lore, just because they read that manga. Holy shit, I get it, that manga was cool. I enjoyed it, but d00d, it was OOC to the extremest amount. Syndra's a powerhungry, oppressive tyrant queen who will do nothing to stop in her conquest for dominance, vengeance and power! STOP TREATING HER LIKE A CUTESY LITTLE GIRL WHOS IN LOVE WITH THE BIG BAD SHADOW NINJA. If you don't treat her like that, good job. That kind of Zed x Syndra is okay with me, but not baseless fangirl/fanboying. e_e**

**/EndRant. Sorry guys, that was really pent up in me. I just hate people who jump into the bandwagon at the first sign of things without even getting to know the characters, you know? (I'm looking at you, people-who-think-Talon-and-Katarina-are-actually-siblings) I mean no offense to anyone reading this or anyone anywhere. You know I love you guys more than I love myself (I actually hate myself -insertangsthere- ); which is why I dedicate hours upon hours of my life to write the perfect chapters so you guys can read it and smile.**

**I want your thoughts on this though guys. Do you want me to keep the bloody-gory things? Or should I tone it down and focus more on the romance? I will focus on that, but if the majority of you don't want to see this amount of gore and blood, I can tone it down. ^^ So please, leave a review and tell me, as well as tell me what you thought of this chapter and any mistakes you see or any improvements you can suggest. You can even suggest plots for me, as I always read every word my reviewers say, even if its a simple "cool story m8 i r8 8/8", it will make me feel glad.**

**Watch the Shadows, guys. They watch you too.**

**kthnxbai**

**~ Wings**


	2. Chapter 2

**Heyo guis!**

**Do you guys know I love you all? That is why I wrote through heaven and hell to give you another chapter as fast as I could :3**

**I will now start including a small list of songs I listened to while writing the chapter. Feel free to listen to them ^^**

**Also, a small shoutout to a story; "Death's Dance" by strawberrynirvana. That story is also a ZedxAkali fic and it gave the last amount of motivation that I needed to start writing this story! I also enjoyed reading it, so I suggest you guys to go and give it a read too. It's quite good.**

**Anyway, enjoy the chapter :D**

**~ Wings**

* * *

><p><strong>Songs: <strong>

Losing your Memory by Ryan Star

Devotion by Hurts

Kill the Light by Lacuna Coil

* * *

><p><span><strong>The Shadow Within<strong>

**Chapter 2: **The Shadow waits.

Zed shot up in his bed, panting loudly as he whipped around to look at Akali, who had also woken up from Zed's sudden movement.  
>"Zed, what's wrong?" Akali asked, worried at his sudden reaction as she sat up quickly as well, watching Zed stare at her like he had seen a ghost. The color had drained from his face and he looked as panicked as she had ever seen him. He suddenly grabbed her, bringing her close and kissing her with a bit more force than needed, before drawing away and simply embracing her, bringing her head close to his chest and holding her tight.<br>"Akali… I thought… I lost you…" He muttered as Akali caught on and brought her hands up to curl around his back as well.

"It's okay Zed… It was just a dream. I'm here. I'll always be here." She whispered as Zed's hold on her tightened into a more protective one.

"Always." He whispered.

…

The morning was, luckily, not as eventful as the day before or the night. Zed had slept in and Akali had decided to not wake him, as he had not fallen asleep until the first rays of dawn was bleeding into the room through the blinds of the window. Akali had already left and went back to her apartment to dress up. And right now, she was consumed with the thoughts of Zed having that panic attack. Whatever he dreamt about must've been something quite nerve-wracking to be able to break Zed's otherwise unbreakable composure. She's only seen him like that once before and that was when she had just woken up from a coma.

"Earth to Akali, Come in, Earth to Akali." Irelia said, snapping her fingers infront of Akali as Akali blinked and jumped slightly. "Huh, sorry, what?" Akali said, looking apologtically at Irelia and Master Yi.  
>"Geez, what did the bowl of cornflakes ever do to you? You're staring at it like you want to burn it in the fires of hell itself." Irelia said, sparing a glance at Akali's poor bowl of cereal, which had been sitting untouched infront of Akali for the last few minutes, instead being held as the focus of Akali's gaze while she was deep in thought.<p>

"I'm sorry. I just have a lot on my mind." Akali said as Irelia nodded. "Yeah, I can see that. Yiyi, would you mind?" Irelia asked as Yi smiled back at Irelia. "Its okay, Irelia. I'm finished anyway." Yi said as he stood up and took his empty tray.  
>"Always first, as usual." Irelia said with a grin.<br>"Except in bed." Master Yi responded with a cheeky grin and a wink, causing Irelia to return a sly grin with a small tinge of red on her cheeks.  
>"Ugh, could you please not do this infront of me. It's very awkward." Akali said with a small smile as Yi laughed, walking away, while Irelia made a "Pffft." noise, before saying, "How do you think I feel everytime you and Zed have those 'stare into each other's eyes for hours in seconds' thing."<p>

"We don't do that!" Akali said indignantly while Irelia simply stared at Akali flatly, slowly raising an eyebrow. Akali pouted and lowered her face, resorting to stabbing her bowl of cereal with the spoon as she said, "Okay maybe we do…"

"Yeah." Irelia said. "So, what's up?" Irelia asked as Akali's face fell, swallowing the spoonful of cereal she had put into her mouth.

"It's… Zed." Akali said as Irelia frowned. "Oh no, is things not working out with hi-" "No no! Nothing like that!" Akali quickly interrupted, before sighing as Irelia waited. "He… He had a dream yesterday night. A bad one. And it really unhinged him… I'm just worried." Akali said as Irelia leaned back in her chair.

"Relax, Akali. Zed is a big boy, he can handle himself, better than most. Besides, he has you to support him, doesn't he?" Irelia said with a smile as Akali offered a small smile back at her friend as well. "Yeah, he does."

"Now… Speaking about Zed… Tell me about your 'nights' . " Irelia said slyly as she leaned forward again. Akali almost spat out the cereal in her mouth, choking and punching her chest.  
>"W-What!?" She stuttered.<br>"Oh you know. The dirty details! Is he a quickie type of guy? Or does he like to pull out the entertainment?" Irelia said with a dirty grin on her face as Akali flustered. "I am NOT talking about this." Akali said indignantly as Irelia laughed. "Oh god, Akali you're so adorable." Irelia said as her laughter slowly died down, wiping her eyes. "You're so innocent all the time yet I'm sure you're one of the lustiest rascals in bed." Irelia said as Akali flushed further.  
>"I-Irelia!" Akali chastised as Irelia laughed again, causing Akali to groan and hang her head.<p>

…

An hour or so later, Akali was dressed up in her usual green attire and walking into the summoning chambers. As she reached it, she ran into a familiar face in the form of blonde hair , an inquisitive young face and green-blue eyes.

"Summoner Jason!" Akali said as Jason looked at her and grinned. "Akali! Hey!" Jason said as Akali walked upto him. "You're partaking in this match?" Jason asked as Akali nodded. "I'm on the purple team." Akali said as Jason's face fell. "What's wrong?" Akali asked.

"I'm on the blue team. And as you know, I'll be summoning Zed." Jason said as Akali furrowed her brows. "So? We've fought on opposing sides many times." Akali said as Jason narrowed his eyes. "That's not the probl-"

"Well well well, if it isn't Summoner Jason." A high, cold feminine voice spoke up. Jason and Akali both turned around to see a female summoner. She had darker-than-black hair that hid one eye, while the other eyes was revealed to be bright golden in color. Yet, this gold color seemed cold and sinister. Markings extended from her visible eye, similar to the markings on LeBlanc's face. Her right hand was covered in white wrappings, as if she was wounded there.

"Aren't you going to introduce me to your little champion friend?" She asked haughtily as Jason glared at the woman darkly. "Akali, this is Summoner Aranya. Aranya Averra." He said in a forced tone as the woman grinned in a way that sent chills down Akali's spine. "She's in the challenger division." Jason said as Aranya laughed coldly.

"Ah, how I love to hear you say that, Jason. And what are you at? Still Gold?" Aranya said scathingly as Jason remained silent. The woman laughed again before fixing Akali with a cold stare. "We'll see each other on the rift, then." She said before walking away.

"Who… was that?" Akali asked uneasily as Jason crossed his arms, face dark. "Aranya Averra, Challenger Division summoner. Overall bitch and a total asshole. Maybe I mixed the two words up there, but doesn't change the fact that she's a bitch. And she'll be on my team, meaning against you." Jason then fixed Akali with a look that indicated he was worried about her.

"What's wrong, Jason?" Akali asked after an uneasy pause.

"She's going to be summoning Syndra." Jason said, as Akali felt her blood run ice cold before rage entered into her head. "Oh, then this should be fun." Akali said angrily as she began walking off, but Jason grabbed onto her arm. "Don't be rash, Akali. Remember, she's a challenger division and far outclasses your summoner."

"I don't care, Jason. I'm going to get back at that bitch for the pain she put me through." Akali said heatedly as Jason kept a resolute stare on her. "Just don't lose your cool." Jason said before letting Akali go. Akali nodded once, still seething with anger, before briskly storming off into the summoning chambers.

It took maybe twenty more minutes before Akali was summoned onto the rift. As she walked into the mid lane, she spotted the dark sovereign on the other side of the lane. Syndra's eyes lit up with malice as she spotted Akali.  
>"Oh ho ho ho…. This will be fun." Syndra said darkly as the spheres around her floated more menacingly.<br>"Never knew you found 'dying a painful death' fun, Syndra." Akali retaliated coolly. "Although, given the sick bitch you are, I wouldn't put it past you." She added, as Syndra's face darkened with anger. And thus, as the minion waves came, the match began…

38 minutes later, the game was nearing it's end. The blue team was winning. Zed stalked through the brush in the purple side jungle, waiting for his target to approach. As he waited, he spotted him. The enemy jungler, Pantheon, neared Zed's position. However, as he drew close, Zed stepped out, causing Pantheon to stop.

"The end is here for you, Pantheon." Zed said with contempt as Pantheon narrowed his glowing eyes, raising his spear. "I will fight you till the last breath, Zed!"

Akali raised her head, getting the mental images of Pantheon fighting Zed from her summoner. On the other side, Ashe and Braum were in a losing battle against Twitch and Thresh. Their Jungler, Udyr, was also in the middle of a duel with the enemy top laner, Malphite.

That left…

Akali jumped to the left just in time to dodge the purple sphere that exploded into existence right where she had been standing moments ago. Syndra's laugh was high and cold as she slowly approached. Akali gritted her teeth. Their team was far behind and there was no chance she could win this battle. She threw her smoke pellets down as a shroud of smoke engulfed her, giving her some time to think.

"I don't think so." Syndra said viciously as a wave of power suddenly collided with Akali, throwing her back out of the shroud and into a nearby tree. Akali cried out in pain as she landed against the tree. She began standing up, but a powerful force suddenly enclosed on her wrists, pulling her forwards suddenly. The force turned, twisting her arms as she cried out in pain, being forced to let go of her kamas. The force let go of her hands, a second before her kamas were raised by the same force and then thrown hard, sailing over the treetops and far away from Akali.

As Akali scrambled up on her feet, Syndra laughed as she neared. "Oh, this brings back memories. Akali, as helpless as ever. This time, however, Zed cannot save you." Syndra said with a manic glint in her eyes. "He's mine, this time around."

Syndra's grin was wiped off her face, however, when Akali's foot planted itself into her face. Akali jumped off from her flying kick, landing a few feet back as Syndra spat out blood, as well as a teeth. Staring down at the blood, Syndra turned her face back to Akali, a crazy expression on her face. " YOU FUCKING PEASANT, HOW DARE YOU!" She screamed, the purple spheres suddenly shooting out at Akali.

Akali didn't even have time to take a breath before the first sphere slammed into her stomach, sending her into the tree again. Before she could even slide down the tree, all the other spheres began colliding into her body. Akali couldn't even scream as white hot pain shot throughout her body, feeling her bones crack and shatter as the spheres kept ramming into her over and over again, not even allowing her to slide down the tree before another one hit.

Finally, the onslaught stopped, allowing Akali to slide down the tree, which had bent from the force, to a half-sitting position on the ground. Blood dripped from her lips, her limbs unresponsive and bent in awkward ways as Syndra laughed.

"That was so much fun! I think I'll prolong this for even more enjoyment. Your team is losing anyway." Syndra said as Akali barely heard her, a ringing in her ears. She was having difficulty breathing as she could feel the blood pouring into her lungs through all the punctures of her own broken ribs digging into her lungs.

Before Syndra could do anything, however; there was the sound of wind rushing and in an instant, Zed stood infront of Akali, staring down Syndra through his helmet, his crimson eyes glaring at the Sovereign.

"Enough." Zed said coldly as Syndra raised an eyebrow. "Are you going to attack me Zed? I hurt your little slut, oh no, I'm so scared." She said mockingly, before spitting at the ground infront of him. "Not even you can defy the summoner's powers, Zed. You can do nothing but watch me play with your little toy until it breaks." Syndra said, grinning as Zed grit his teeth behind his helmet. Suddenly, Zed turned around and grabbed Akali by her shoulders gently.

Akali made no sounds as Zed gently embraced her bloodied form, before whispering to her ear, "I love you."

_**Shlick.**_

"Ah." Akali uttered, the small breath leaving her as blood dripped down Zed's armblade, which was currently burried deep into Akali's chest. With another sickening sound, Zed withdrew the armblade as Akali died in his arms, embracing her deeply again. He could not save her, but atleast he could spare her from further torture.

Syndra was laughing even more behind Zed now. "You actually care about your toy that much, Zed!? Hahahahaha, this is hysterical! I never thought you, of all people, would get attached to a broken toy." Syndra said as Zed held onto Akali's corpse silently until it faded from his arms, the magic of the summoner's rift dissipating her body. Zed stood up, keeping his back on Syndra as he said, "You know something Syndra? I pity you."

Syndra's laughter stopped then, the glee from her face slowly falling away as she stared at Zed. "What do you mean?" She asked skeptically as Zed kept his back to her.

"You're so… alone. Unloved. Unwanted. You have no friends. You have no family. You have no one who even cares about you. You remind me of myself a bit…" Zed shook his head. "But that is where our similarities end. Because unlike me, you have no redemption. You have no future to look forward to. Just you, with your hunger for power that will never end. You will die one day, alone and powerless, helpless to do anything. And no one will mourn you. No one will remember you. You will be nothing but ashes blown to the wind." Zed said darkly as Syndra stared at Zed silently, her lips parted in shock at his words, as well as anger. But before she could say anything, there was the resounding explosion that signalled the destruction of the Nexus, letting everyone know that the match ended.

"You will not even be a memory. And I pity you for that." Zed said finally as everything faded away, the summoner's rift erasing itself as the match ended.

…

Akali had waited in the changing rooms for a good amount of time to allow everyone else to leave first before she decided to exit the room, a dark expression on her face. She was angry and frustrated that she couldn't do anything against Syndra. As she exitted into the hallways, however, she found Zed waiting for her. He had taken his helmet off, allowing his black hair to be free as he spotted her and began walking to her.

They met halfway and Zed pulled her into an embrace, saying nothing.  
>"Thank you, Zed." Akali said, knowing why Zed had done what he had done. She was glad he didn't let her suffer.<br>"That was one of the single hardest things I've ever had to do in my life." Zed whispered as Akali offered a small smile to try and lighten the situation.

"We meet in battle on the Rift a lot, Zed." Akali said.  
>"Yes, but neither of us have ever been in such a state…" Zed said darkly. "Syndra… She will pay. This will not go unanswered."<p>

"Zed." Akali said resolutely, drawing away and using her fingertips to lower Zed's face so he would look at her. "You will not do anything. She's not worth it." Akali said as Zed remained silent, just staring at her with those intense eyes of his.

"Lets get going then." Akali said, stepping away while gently taking Zed's hand and pulling him to get him moving, letting go of his hand once he began moving forward. He remained silent, however, his eyes shadow-cast as his gaze smoldered, his thoughts going back to the nightmare he had about killing Akali, then to Syndra forcing him to do so in the Rift. The wound was too open and now salt had been poured onto it. He had almost lost Akali as well because of her. All, because of Syndra.

Because. Of. Syndra.

_She would pay._

...

It was in the middle of the night. Nothing moved in the dead of night. Syndra was floating above her bed, eyes closed as her spheres rotated around her slowly. She drifted up and down, as if caught in weightlessness, her white hair floating around her head. She was not clothed, as she lived alone in her apartment and found little reason to wear clothes when sleeping. She seemed to be half sleeping, half meditating, floating vertically above her bed. In her trance, she failed to notice the dark shadow that moved across the floor of her room. The shadow slowly moved across the room to the corner, where it was the darkest. For a few moments, the shadow melted into the darkness of the corner, joining the other shadows there. A second later, however, two red eyes opened higher up, as a full figure stepped out.

It was completely black and smoky, like a shadow brought to life. It was monochrome in color, mostly differing shades of black. Only it's eyes, a vivid shade of red, was what stood out. It walked forward slowly, each step normal yet making no noise, leaving not even an indentation in the carpet as the shadow walked towards the sleeping Sovereign.

Stepping up onto the bed, his weight didn't even cause the bed to dent in where his feet was stepping. Rising up, he stood next to Syndra's bare body, unfazed by her nudity.

_She would pay._

His arm raised up as he held it there. Ever so slowly, his armblade extended, looking as if it would create alot of noise of metal-against-metal, yet being completely and ominously silent. As it extended to full length, the very end of the blade just barely touched Syndra's chest. Only a few inches of skin, flesh and bone separated the cold shadowy blade from her beating heart. Powerful or not, Syndra was still a living being, with the same turn-off switch. The shadow pulled it's arm back, preparing to end the Sovereign's life. And then, shot the arm fo-

Zed woke up with a start, his red eyes staring out in the darkness of his room. Today, Akali had decided to sleep in her own room. Irelia had wanted to have a girls-night with Akali, so she hadn't refused. Zed did not protest either. Therefore, he was now in his room, sitting crosslegged on his bed. He had been meditating as he always did, by closing his eyes and focusing, summoning as many shadows as he could. Yet, some how, he had fallen asleep and dreamt of something… weird.

His red eyes focused forward, staring at a Shadowy figure. With his concentration nearly broken, only one shadow remained. That shadow stood directly infront of Zed, standing straight and unmoving, it's only striking feature being the vividly red eyes that belonged to Zed himself.  
>Staring at the shadow, Zed felt vulnerable. Like the shadow was watching him rather than him watching it. With a small flicker of movement on his otherwise passive face, the shadow faded away, leaving the lingering red of it's eyes for a few moments after it had disappeared, leaving Zed all alone in his room. But hadn't he been alone after all? His shadows were only his creations, after all.<p>

Then why had he felt like there was another presence in the room?

* * *

><p><strong>Nothing else to say right now, except for the fact that I'm nearly keeling over from lack of sleep xD<strong>

**Please leave a review guys. I would love to hear your thoughts on every chapter and I always read what you guys have to say. And remember, you guys need not have an account to review and tell me how much you loved/hated my story!**

**Listen to the Shadows, guys. They whisper Lies hidden in Truths.**

**kthnxbai.**

**~ Wings.**


End file.
